Public meeting planned for North Weymouth beach connection project

Weymouth, MA – Mayor Robert Hedlund announced today that the Town will host a public meeting to kick off design development of the North Weymouth Beach Connection project. This project will study, design, and permit an accessible pedestrian connection between Wessagusset Beach and George Lane Beach. The Town plans to hold at least two public meetings while the project is under design.

The first public meeting will take place Wednesday, May 31st at 7:00 pm in the John F. McCulloch Building at 182 Green Street. There will be a brief presentation, followed by an open discussion of public comment and questions.

“If we can improve our waterfront areas and enhance beach access for residents, we will also encourage investment in the town’s Route 3A corridor,” said Mayor Hedlund. “Providing a pedestrian walkway and stabilizing the existing coastal bank are great ways to accomplish these goals, which is why our newly energized Waterfront Committee has identified this project as a priority. We want residents to be involved and help design the final product.”

The North Weymouth Beach Connection project has been funded by a $184,000 grant, which the Town recently secured through the Massachusetts Seaport Economic Council. Funding will cover design and permitting for the project, as well as development of a vegetation maintenance and management plan for the existing coastal bank between the public beaches. 

Weymouth’s Waterfront Plan, prepared in 1988, was the first planning document to propose a pedestrian boardwalk between Weymouth’s two beaches. The “old” and “new” beach are separated by approximately 2,000 feet of coastline that is inaccessible at high tide and largely inaccessible at low tide due to large quantities of boulders, cobble stones, and concrete debris in the intertidal zone. The new project proposes to design and permit a pedestrian boardwalk that will traverse this coastline, and create new opportunities for passive recreation.

“We have really improved the comfort and quality of our beaches over the last two years, particularly at Wessagusset Beach where we’ve added staff and will run new programming this summer,” said Recreation Program Supervisor Steve Reilly. “This project will complement and help connect everything that we do at our beaches.”